Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

When it comes to mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies, the key hurdle is neither regulation nor price volatility. According to a comprehensive report titled “Passkeys for Bitcoin Wallets: How WebAuthn Replaces Seed Phrases,” published by researcher bcTanji on July 4, 2026, the real obstacle centers on the legacy system of 12 or 24-word recovery phrases at the heart of the user experience.

The report stresses that expecting everyday internet users to write down a random list of words and keep it securely stored for a lifetime is a method better suited to cryptography textbooks, not modern consumer software.

Citing Chainalysis data, bcTanji notes that around 20% of the world’s Bitcoin supply is permanently inaccessible because owners lost their private keys or backups. Additionally, Oobit’s 2026 research referenced in the report finds that 35% of crypto holders have lost access to their wallets at least once, and 31% of those were never able to recover their funds.

bcTanji’s research points to a silent revolution: the crypto sector is ready to consign traditional seed phrases to history, ushered by technologies like WebAuthn and passkeys that promise to overhaul digital wallet security and usability.

Biometrics, Not Passwords: How WebAuthn Transforms SecurityWebAuthn, a protocol standardized by the W3C, underpins the passkey revolution. The report details how WebAuthn relies on asymmetric cryptography—using a pair of public and private keys—to verify users without ever sharing a password. When you create an account, your device’s secure chip (such as Apple’s Secure Enclave, Android’s Titan M, or Windows’ TPM 2.0) generates a unique key pair, with the private key never leaving the device.

Passkeys also offer inherent resistance to phishing, the most common method for crypto theft. As explained in the report, authentication is cryptographically locked to the wallet’s real domain name. Fake phishing sites can’t trigger the authentication process on your device because they operate on different domains.

Technical Hurdles: Why Bitcoin Wallets Lag BehindbcTanji highlights a core technical mismatch preventing the integration of passkeys directly into Bitcoin wallets. WebAuthn relies on the NIST P-256 (secp256r1) elliptic curve, whereas the Bitcoin blockchain uses a different curve—secp256k1.

As a result, a passkey created on a device cannot directly generate a valid Bitcoin digital signature. The report outlines four architectural models developers are using to bridge this gap:

TEE-Based Signing: Passkeys authenticate users biometrically, granting access to a remote Trusted Execution Environment where the Bitcoin signature is generated.

MPC (Multi-Party Computation): The private key is divided into pieces; one is protected by the user’s device passkey, other pieces are stored on servers.

PRF-Based Derivation: The WebAuthn PRF extension enables passkeys to locally generate a deterministic secret that unlocks the Bitcoin key, removing server reliance for each transaction.

On-chain Verification: Smart contract networks like Ethereum can verify P-256 signatures directly on-chain, but Bitcoin’s current setup does not natively support this method.

Layer-2 Wallet Solutions: Where Change Happens FastestThe report notes that the fastest adoption of this revolution will happen in Bitcoin Layer-2 wallets, which cater to less technical users and facilitate frequent transactions. Platforms like Spark stand out for offering a software development kit (SDK) that lets wallet developers integrate passkey-based onboarding with minimal friction.

Spark uses the FROST threshold signature model. Rather than exposing the user’s key share as a plain “word list,” it is secured directly with the device’s passkey. Authentication happens via biometrics, activating the key share on-device and enabling secure signature protocols. The report highlights platforms like General Bread as real-world examples of seamless, seedless, passkey-protected Layer-2 wallets enabled by Spark.

Editor’s Perspective: What’s Next for Crypto Users?Based on bcTanji’s insights and sector forecasts, the report draws several conclusions on how the passkey revolution could transform the crypto experience:

1. Security and Convenience Combined: Previously, setting up a secure wallet required a burdensome backup process. With cloud-synced passkeys, like those in Apple iCloud or Google Password Manager, losing your device no longer means total disaster. Users can instantly regain wallet access from a new phone, eliminating the catastrophic risk of lost seed phrases.

2. Risks of Platform Dependency: A critical warning is the unavoidable dependency on major platforms. If your iCloud or Google account is locked for suspicious activity or you lose all your trusted devices, your synced passkeys—and therefore your wallet funds—could become inaccessible, posing a security trade-off for those who value decentralization and true financial sovereignty.

3. Challenges for Automated Operations: For security, the passkey specification generally demands live biometric verification for each transaction. This complicates automated trading bots and AI-driven wallets, which may need to adapt their models to remain functional in a passkey-first world.

In Summary: As bcTanji’s research notes, the seed phrase model secured true self-custody in Bitcoin’s first decade. But bringing Bitcoin to mass adoption and the next billion users will not rely on pen and paper. Soon, opening a wallet will only require your fingerprint, with robust cryptographic protection working invisibly behind the scenes—more secure and user-friendly than ever before.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Iran plans to start charging commercial vessels for transiting the Strait of Hormuz once a 60-day free-passage window expires, a move that has already drawn pushback from Washington and could ripple through global oil and shipping markets. Tehran is simultaneously rolling out a Bitcoin-settled insurance platform for ships making the passage.

What’s actually happening The backdrop here is a US-Iran memorandum of understanding struck in mid-June 2026 that guaranteed toll-free commercial transit through the Strait for 60 days. That window is set to close around mid-August, and what comes after is where things get complicated.

Iran established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority back in May 2026 specifically to oversee “safe passage permits” and collect service fees tied to navigation and environmental measures. The Iranian foreign ministry has been careful to label these as “maritime service fees” rather than tolls, a distinction that matters under international maritime law.

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Washington rejected the proposed fee structure outright, arguing it could disrupt established international shipping norms. Roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz on any given day. Shipping giant Maersk has voiced concerns that Iran’s fee structure could set a harmful precedent for international shipping.

The crypto angle is real In May 2026, Iran introduced something called Hormuz Safe, a platform that allows Bitcoin-settled, verifiable insurance policies for vessels transiting the Strait, with premiums paid in BTC rather than through traditional banking channels.

Reports from earlier in 2026 indicated that IRGC-linked entities were already accepting yuan or stablecoins for safe-passage permits, with fees starting at approximately $1 per barrel for oil shipments. The Hormuz Safe platform appears to formalize and expand what was already happening in less transparent ways.

Iran has spent years under heavy financial sanctions that cut it off from the SWIFT banking network and most Western financial infrastructure. Crypto, particularly Bitcoin and dollar-pegged stablecoins, offers a way to collect payments without needing access to correspondent banking relationships that sanctions have severed.

What this means for markets On the oil side, the introduction of service fees could generate upward pressure on global crude and shipping costs once the free-transit period expires in mid-August 2026.

Iran’s ambassador to China confirmed the fee plans while assuring that “friendly” nations would receive preferential treatment, effectively creating a two-tier pricing system for one of the world’s most critical trade routes, potentially incentivizing nations to align politically with Tehran in exchange for lower shipping costs.

Traders should watch for two things in the coming weeks: any escalation in rhetoric between Washington and Tehran as the 60-day free-transit window closes, and on-chain data that might reveal the volume of BTC flowing through Hormuz Safe or related platforms.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs posted about $527 million in net outflows over the four trading days ending Thursday, July 2, their eighth consecutive negative week, per The Block's analysis of SoSoValue data. That extends the longest weekly outflow run in the funds' history; before this stretch began in mid-May, they had never strung together more than five net outflow weeks.

The record week arrived despite a strong finish. The funds pulled in $221.72 million on Thursday, their largest single-day inflows since May 5, ending a 10-session outflow streak that had drained about $2.71 billion, The Block reported Friday. Fidelity's FBTC led with $165.96 million, followed by ARK and 21Shares' ARKB at $91.84 million.

The weekly outflows did slow considerably, down from $1.79 billion the week before. U.S. markets were closed Friday for observance of the Independence Day holiday, shortening the week to four sessions.

BlackRock's IBIT, the largest bitcoin fund by net assets, was the only ETF to post an outflow Thursday, losing $40.43 million in its 11th straight day of redemptions, a run that has cost the fund roughly $2.2 billion. The fund now holds $44.91 billion against $59.99 billion in cumulative inflows since launch. The Block reported last week that the average IBIT investor is sitting on a loss of roughly 40%.

The 10-day streak was the second-longest daily run on record, behind only a 13-session stretch from mid-May to early June that drained $4.37 billion. Year to date, the bitcoin funds have now lost a net $5.53 billion.

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Bitcoin traded near $63,150 on Saturday after dipping below $58,000 to a 21-month low early in the week, according to The Block's Bitcoin Price page. The rebound followed weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data that traders read as lowering the odds of a Federal Reserve rate increase, though CryptoQuant analysts cautioned Friday that rising exchange deposits point to more volatility ahead.

Ether funds tie their record slide Spot ether ETFs (ETH) lost a net $13.67 million in the week ending Thursday, their eighth consecutive weekly outflow, per SoSoValue data. The run now matches the eight-week record the category set between late February and mid-April of 2025.

The week nearly broke even, though. The funds took in $14.89 million on Wednesday and $29.08 million on Thursday, their first back-to-back daily inflows since mid-June, with BlackRock's ETHA leading Thursday at $29.74 million.

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Ether traded near $1,780 on Saturday, according to The Block's Ethereum Price page. The ether funds hold $9.02 billion in net assets, about 4.4% of the token's market value, and have lost a net $1.44 billion so far this year.

Hyperliquid inflows slow, but remain positive U.S.-based Hyperliquid ETFs (HYPE) took in $4.32 million for the week. That is their smallest weekly inflow level since the funds launched in mid-May, below the $5.87 million posted in the week ending June 12, per SoSoValue data. 

The slowdown follows the group's best week on record, a $111.36 million net inflow in the week ending June 26 that was driven by Bitwise's BHYP. The funds gathered roughly $161 million in June overall.

The three Hyperliquid products now hold $336.41 million in combined net assets against $298.24 million in cumulative inflows. Bitwise's BHYP is the largest at $135.49 million, followed by Grayscale's HYPG at $128.58 million and 21Shares' THYP at $72.34 million.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

XRP posted a strong rally in recent days, in line with a broader recovery trend seen in cryptocurrency markets ahead of July 4. After hitting a low of $1.02 on July 1, the asset climbed for four consecutive days and was trading at $1.14 on July 4.

Buying interest surged near support levelsAccording to data from Santiment, several weeks of prevailing fear, ETF outflows, cautious institutional stances, and weak sentiment are gradually giving way to renewed buying interest in crypto markets. Buyers stepped in especially near critical support zones, lifting several major cryptocurrencies—including XRP—on the same trading day.

Santiment noted that short- and long-term average returns in XRP dropped to historic lows, indicating a climate of extreme fear that could pave the way for a relief rally.

After remaining stuck between $1.00 and $1.07 for several days, XRP broke out to the upside. The asset has gained more than 8% over the past week, as some investors interpreted deep losses as a potential contrarian signal.

Relief rally follows deep lossesOn-chain profitability indicators set the stage for this move. XRP’s 30-day MVRV (Market Value to Realized Value) ratio dropped to around minus 45%, while its 365-day MVRV fell to approximately minus 47%. This suggests that the average cost basis for both short- and long-term holders remains above the current price.

Mini glossary: MVRV is an on-chain metric that measures the ratio between market value and realized value. A negative MVRV indicates most investors are in a loss position and can sometimes mean selling pressure is easing.

Santiment highlighted that in more than 12 years of trading history, average returns over these time ranges have never dipped so low for XRP. This points to an unusual degree of fear in the market and casts the recent upturn as a relief bounce.

Technical outlook versus Bitcoin improvesXRP’s latest price action also shows technical strengthening against Bitcoin. On the two-hour XRP/BTC chart, the 50-period moving average has crossed above the 200-period moving average—a short-term “golden cross” signal.

Following its 19-month low of $1.01 on June 25, XRP managed to stay within the $1.00 range, as short-term technical indicators versus Bitcoin suggested a rebound was underway.

During mid-July trading, XRP’s strong gains compared to Bitcoin reversed a decline that had persisted since mid-June. Still, with the price remaining around the $1.00 mark, the move has yet to translate into a broad breakout.

Network growth accelerates despite weak priceDespite recent price disappointments, on-chain data reveals sustained interest in XRP. On the XRP Ledger, 4,941 new wallets were created in a single day—the largest jump in network growth in more than three months.

Even as price performance lags, the influx of new users highlights ongoing ecosystem adoption. The $1.00–$1.05 range is being watched as a potential pullback buying zone, while overall market sentiment reflects the highest level of fear of missing out in the past three months.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Summary

Bitcoin climbed above $63,000 for the first time in two weeks, reversing late-June losses amid a modest rebound in crypto markets.XRP jumped more than 5 percent on the day and nearly 10 percent on the week, overtaking USDC to become the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market value.The rally across major tokens followed a friendlier macro backdrop, including softer U.S. economic data and comments suggesting easing inflation risks, though thin holiday trading may be amplifying price moves.Bitcoin climbed above $63,000 in U.S. morning hours Saturday, up 1.4% over 24 hours and 3.6% on the week, per CoinDesk data, its highest in two weeks and a full reversal of the losses that closed out June.

XRP led the day's majors, up 5.3% to $1.18 and nearly 10% on the week, a move that lifted it past the USDC stablecoin to fifth place by market value at about $73 billion.

The gain came alongside onchain data showing XRP holders at their deepest average losses on record - the kind of washed-out positioning some traders buy against. Ether added 3.2% on the day to about $1,793, up 11.5% over seven days, while dogecoin rose 2.6% and solana held near $82.50 with a 13.2% weekly gain.

The surge extended a week built on a friendlier macro turn. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's comment that inflation risks have come down, a soft June jobs report and a squeeze on bearish traders carried bitcoin from below $60,000 to above $63,000 in five sessions.

Trading was thin on Saturday with U.S. markets shut for the Independence Day holiday, the kind of liquidity that exaggerates moves in both directions.

Bitcoin entered the third quarter at 21-month lows and has now recovered the ground lost in June's final slide. Whether the momentum holds turns on the coming U.S. inflation print and on whether buying continues once U.S. desks return from the holiday.

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Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness

Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

Jun 30, 2026

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

Why it matters:

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

XRP kicked off July with a strong price rally, surging by over 13% in just three days, a trend that has sparked renewed optimism among investors across the crypto ecosystem.

While July has marked one of XRP's stronger periods over the past years, its ongoing rally suggests that history might be set to repeat itself this year.

XRP may extend July's seven-year profit streakHistoric data showcased by CryptoRank shows that July has consistently been a favorable month for XRP, and the trend appears to be extending into this year.

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Over the past seven years, XRP has continued to close the month with massive positive returns, building a pattern that market analysts have increasingly paid attention to.

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In addition to this, the data further showed that XRP's average returns for July since it launched in 2013 stand at about 10.4%, positioning the month among its stronger-performing periods year over year.

Notably, several years have delivered substantial gains in July, including returns above 30% seen in the last two years and even a surge exceeding 48% in 2020, when the impressive gaining streak started.

XRP up 13% in three daysWhile XRP is currently witnessing a rapid price rally, surging from a low of around $1.03 to near $1.18 in just about three days, analysts are beginning to predict that the rebound is beyond just another short-term move.

Instead of the usual frenzy around short-term price moves, the ongoing rally has sparked excitement and optimism, as many perceive it as proof that XRP is headed for a major price breakout this month after surviving the downside pressure caused by the prolonged volatility seen in previous months.

Ethereum just published its most ambitious technical blueprint in years. The “Lean Ethereum” initiative, first introduced by Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake, lays out a decade-long framework to rebuild the network’s consensus, data, and execution layers from the ground up.

The target numbers are eye-catching: roughly 10,000 transactions per second on Layer 1 mainnet, scaling up to approximately 1 million TPS across Layer 2 solutions. For context, Ethereum currently processes somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-30 TPS on mainnet.

What the strawmap actually says The roadmap has been formalized through what the Ethereum Foundation calls a “strawmap,” a draft strategic framework showcased at an internal workshop in January 2026. Seven distinct protocol upgrades are planned through 2029. The priorities break down into three buckets: scaling, improved user experience, and hardening Layer 1 systems against emerging threats, with quantum computing resistance sitting at the top of that last category.

The Lean Ethereum architecture itself rests on three pillars: lean consensus, lean data, and lean execution.

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Near-term, the “Glamsterdam” upgrade is slated for the latter half of 2026. It represents the first concrete implementation step in this broader vision.

The quantum clock is ticking The Lean Ethereum roadmap maps out incremental introductions of post-quantum cryptography through successive hard forks stretching into the late 2020s. Quantum-resistant cryptographic signatures will gradually replace current standards, staged across multiple upgrades rather than attempting a single massive migration.

Key developments supporting this transition include work on the zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine, or zkEVM, which enables cryptographic proofs that certain computations were performed correctly without revealing the underlying data. Client-side proving, another focus area, would let users generate these proofs on their own devices rather than relying on centralized infrastructure.

Privacy gets a seat at the table The Lean Ethereum framework elevates privacy from a nice-to-have to a core protocol consideration, woven into the roadmap alongside the scaling and security work. Ethereum has historically treated privacy as something to be handled by application-layer solutions built on top of the protocol.

The initiative coincides with Ethereum’s 10th anniversary in 2025.

What this means for investors Roadmaps are not releases. Ethereum has a long history of ambitious timelines that slip, sometimes by years. The original transition to proof-of-stake, initially expected around 2019, didn’t ship until September 2022.

A credible path to 10,000 TPS on Layer 1 would fundamentally change Ethereum’s competitive positioning against faster Layer 1 alternatives like Solana and Sui. The Layer 2 scaling target of 1 million TPS creates a clearer investment thesis for L2 tokens and the broader ecosystem of applications built on top of them.

Investors watching this space should pay less attention to the roadmap’s ambition and more attention to whether Glamsterdam ships on time later this year. Seven upgrades through 2029 requires coordination across multiple independent client teams, thousands of validators, and a governance process that moves at the speed of rough consensus.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

We will also review the landscape around the Ethereum ETFs in this article.

The last trading day of the previous business week finally brought some more net inflows rather than consistent outflows for the spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States.

The products tracking the world’s largest altcoin had even more to celebrate at the end of the week, but still closed in the red.

The Good and the Bad: BTC ETF Edition There’s no need to sugarcoat the end result – the week was still dominated by the bears. Investors pulling out funds from the spot Bitcoin ETFs withdrew $526.64 million throughout the four-day trading week. This means that the overall negative streak continues as the products have not seen a single green week in almost two months.

Within this timeframe, the total cumulative flows have dumped from $59.34 billion to $51.08 billion. July 1 saw the most daily withdrawals, with $294.62 million leaving the funds, according to SoSoValue data. Another $222.64 million went out on June 30 and $231.10 million on June 29. That’s all on the negative side.

The bright side was July 2. After 10 consecutive days of only net inflows, the streak was broken as investors poured in $221.72 million. Moreover, this was the highest single-day inflow recorded since May 5. Friday was a non-trading day due to the July 4 holiday, meaning that the week ended on a more positive note.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs Net Flows. Source: SoSoValue Ethereum ETF Edition The daily performance of the financial vehicles tracking ETH was even more promising. The Ethereum ETFs saw more modest $30.04 million withdrawals on June 29 and $27.60 million on June 30. However, the tides turned during the next two business days.

Investors poured in $14.89 million on Wednesday and $29.08 million on Thursday, marking a near-monthly high. Nevertheless, the week still ended in the red, with total net outflows of $13.67 million. As such, the negative streak of the Ethereum ETFs continues, with eight straight weeks in the red. The total cumulative flows are down from $12.09 billion in early May to $10.89 billion on Thursday.

You may also like: The Vanishing Bitcoin Bid: Where Are the ETF Billions Going? Bitcoin and Gold Are Bleeding – So Where Is the Money Going? XRP and HYPE Keep Winning the ETF Race as SOL Joins BTC and ETH On the more positive side, though, it was a lot less harmful than the $273.34 million taken out during the previous business week.

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Micron Technology has done something that most semiconductor stocks only dream about. The memory chipmaker’s shares have climbed nearly 700% over the trailing twelve months, blowing past $600 in May 2026 before surging north of $1,000 following a blockbuster third-quarter earnings report in late June. The company’s market cap crossed $700B for the first time, placing it firmly among the most valuable chip companies on the planet.

Here’s where it gets interesting for crypto. A tokenized version of Micron stock, called MUon (Micron Technology Tokenized Stock via Ondo), now trades on Ethereum, giving digital asset traders direct price exposure to one of the hottest AI plays in public markets.

The AI memory boom driving Micron’s run The engine behind Micron’s rally is high-bandwidth memory, or HBM. Nvidia’s GPUs, AMD’s accelerators, and custom AI silicon all require enormous amounts of fast memory, and Micron has positioned itself as a key supplier.

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Following its Q3 FY2026 earnings, Micron reported that its entire 2026 HBM production is fully sold out.

The last time Micron executed a stock split was May 2, 2000, a 2-for-1 split. With shares now trading above $1,000, speculation about a new split has intensified. Management hasn’t confirmed any plans, but the math is hard to ignore. A four-figure share price creates friction for retail investors who prefer to buy whole shares rather than fractional ones.

Tokenized Micron stock brings TradFi to DeFi While Wall Street debates split timing, crypto markets have already found their own solution to Micron’s accessibility problem. MUon, the tokenized version of Micron stock created through Ondo’s infrastructure, trades on Ethereum and tracks the underlying share price.

Ondo Finance has been one of the most aggressive players in the tokenized securities space, building infrastructure that bridges regulated financial products with blockchain-based settlement.

What this means for investors For traditional equity investors, the sold-out HBM production suggests demand isn’t slowing. The real signal to watch is whether Micron can sustain its HBM pricing power as Samsung and SK Hynix ramp competing products.

The risk, as always with tokenized real-world assets, lives in the gap between the on-chain token and its off-chain backing. Counterparty risk, custody arrangements, and redemption mechanics all matter enormously when the underlying asset is moving 700% in a year.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

As confidence gradually returns to the cryptocurrency market, one question continues to dominate investor conversations: what is the best crypto to buy now? For some, the answer lies in established blockchain giants like Ethereum or XRP, two projects that have spent years building their ecosystems and communities. For others, the biggest opportunities are often found much earlier, before a project reaches exchanges and the wider market begins paying attention.

That shift in mindset has placed crypto presales back in the spotlight.

While blue-chip cryptocurrencies continue to attract long-term investors, many market participants are once again researching emerging projects that offer something established assets simply can’t: the opportunity to invest at the earliest possible stage. Among the projects attracting increasing attention is IceBull, an Ethereum-based meme coin that has officially launched Stage 1 of its crypto presale.

Rather than competing directly with Ethereum or XRP, IceBull offers investors a different opportunity altogether, participating while the project is still in its earliest growth phase.

Ethereum Continues to Set the Standard for Blockchain Innovation Table of Contents

Ethereum Continues to Set the Standard for Blockchain InnovationXRP Remains One of Crypto’s Most Recognisable Payment NetworksIceBull Offers Something DifferentWhy Crypto Presales Continue Attracting AttentionIceBull, Ethereum and XRP ComparedWhy Timing MattersFinal ThoughtsFor More Information:Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is the best crypto to buy now?Is IceBull live?Why are investors watching IceBull?How can I join the IceBull Crypto Presale?Disclaimer Few cryptocurrencies have influenced the industry as much as Ethereum. Since introducing smart contracts, Ethereum has become the foundation for decentralised finance, NFTs, blockchain gaming and thousands of Web3 applications. Millions of users interact with Ethereum every day, making it one of the most widely adopted blockchain ecosystems in the world.

Its transition to Proof-of-Stake also transformed the network, allowing holders to stake ETH while significantly reducing energy consumption. For investors seeking long-term exposure to blockchain technology, Ethereum remains one of the strongest and most established assets available.

However, its maturity also means many investors now complement their portfolios with smaller projects that may offer greater upside if they successfully execute their roadmaps.

XRP Remains One of Crypto’s Most Recognisable Payment Networks XRP has built its reputation around one core objective: making international payments faster and more efficient.

Over the years, it has remained among the cryptocurrency market’s largest digital assets despite periods of regulatory uncertainty. Its transaction speed, relatively low fees and established global community continue attracting investors looking for exposure to payment-focused blockchain technology.

As institutional interest in digital assets continues evolving, XRP remains firmly on many investors’ watchlists.

Like Ethereum, however, XRP is already a mature project. While it continues developing, much of today’s attention is centred around adoption, regulation and ecosystem growth rather than early-stage discovery.

IceBull Offers Something Different Unlike Ethereum and XRP, IceBull isn’t trying to replace existing blockchain infrastructure. Instead, it’s building an Ethereum-based community token centred around transparency, participation and long-term growth.

With IceBull Crypto Presale now officially live, investors can participate in Stage 1, where the lowest presale pricing is currently available before prices increase throughout the remaining stages.

The project features a structured 16-stage presale, allowing token pricing to gradually increase as demand grows while giving participants complete visibility throughout the fundraising campaign.

Alongside its Ethereum foundation, IceBull also offers:

Audited smart contracts Team allocation vesting Up to 80% APY staking Community-driven development 10% referral rewards for both referrer and buyer on qualifying purchases Transparent tokenomics For investors looking beyond established cryptocurrencies, Stage 1 provides the earliest opportunity to join the project before future presale price increases and exchange listings.

Why Crypto Presales Continue Attracting Attention Presales have always occupied a unique position within the cryptocurrency market. Rather than buying after public trading begins, participants can evaluate a project while it’s still in its earliest phase. That doesn’t eliminate risk, but it does create opportunities that no longer exist once a token reaches exchanges.

Experienced crypto investors typically focus on several key areas before considering any presale:

Transparent token supply Clearly explained tokenomics Realistic roadmap Community engagement Smart contract security Long-term development plans Projects that communicate these fundamentals clearly often inspire greater confidence than those relying purely on marketing.

With IceBull Crypto Presale now live, investors can purchase tokens directly through the official website during Stage 1. As the presale progresses through each stage, token prices increase according to the published pricing schedule, rewarding those who participate early.

Feature IceBull Ethereum XRP Current Status Stage 1 Presale Live Live Live Blockchain Ethereum Ethereum XRP Ledger Exchange Listed No Yes Yes Entry Stage Stage 1 Presale Established Established Smart Contract Platform ERC-20 Native Native Community Focus High High High Staking Up to 80% APY Available Limited Each project appeals to a different type of investor. Ethereum continues driving innovation across decentralised applications. XRP focuses on improving digital payments and financial infrastructure. IceBull, meanwhile, is aimed at investors looking to discover projects while they remain in the earliest stages of development.

Why Timing Matters One of the biggest differences between established cryptocurrencies and crypto presales is timing. Ethereum and XRP are both available on major exchanges today. IceBull Crypto Presale, however, is currently in Stage 1, giving early participants access before future presale price increases and the project’s planned exchange listings.

For investors who enjoy identifying opportunities early, Stage 1 represents the earliest public entry point currently available. As with any cryptocurrency investment, carrying out independent research and understanding a project’s roadmap and tokenomics remains essential.

Final Thoughts There is no single answer to the question of the best crypto to buy now because every investor has different goals and risk tolerance. Ethereum continues to lead the smart contract ecosystem with one of the strongest developer communities in blockchain. XRP remains a significant player within digital payments and cross-border settlement.

Meanwhile, IceBull offers something different. With IceBull Crypto Presale now live in Stage 1, investors have the opportunity to participate while the project remains in its earliest phase. Featuring a structured 16-stage presale, audited smart contracts, staking rewards, referral incentives and an Ethereum foundation, IceBull is becoming one of the emerging crypto projects many investors are watching as the next market cycle approaches.

For More Information: Website: https://www.icebull.com/

Telegram: https://t.me/IceBullCoin

X: https://x.com/IceBullCoin

Frequently Asked Questions What is the best crypto to buy now? The best crypto to buy now depends on your investment strategy. Some investors prefer established assets like Ethereum or XRP, while others are exploring early-stage opportunities such as IceBull Crypto Presale, which is currently live in Stage 1.

Is IceBull live? Yes. IceBull is now live, and Stage 1 of the crypto presale is officially open. Investors can participate through the official website.

Why are investors watching IceBull? IceBull combines a structured 16-stage presale, audited smart contracts, up to 80% APY staking, referral rewards, Ethereum-based infrastructure and a community-first approach, making it one of the emerging crypto projects attracting early attention.

How can I join the IceBull Crypto Presale? You can participate by visiting the official IceBull Crypto Presale, connecting a supported wallet and purchasing during Stage 1 before future presale price increases.

Disclaimer This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments involve risk, and readers should always conduct their own research before making any investment decisions.

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Dogecoin has rebounded following its recent pullback, showing signs of renewed strength according to technical indicators. The cryptocurrency reclaimed its critical support zone and saw an increase in trading volume, suggesting that investor demand remains resilient even as leveraged positions experienced a modest decline.

Price recovery puts spotlight on support zoneBased on CoinMarketCap data, Dogecoin (DOGE) was trading at $0.07692 at the time of writing. The asset gained 1.63% over the last 24 hours, with daily trading volume climbing to $978.49 million and market capitalization reaching $13.11 billion.

In an analysis dated July 4, 2026, crypto analyst Alpha Crypto Signal noted that Dogecoin had bounced decisively from its neckline support, forming a V-shaped reversal pattern. This technical structure, combined with DOGE holding above key moving averages, was interpreted as a sign of market improvement following the recent downturn.

Alpha Crypto Signal stated that as long as Dogecoin remains above the reclaimed neckline, the prevailing trend is likely to continue. The analyst also pointed out that any pullback to this support may represent a fresh buying opportunity ahead of the next upward move.

The V-shaped recovery is one of the classic reversal patterns driven by buyers stepping in quickly after sharp declines. Sustaining price above the neckline is considered by some investors to be a strong technical indicator that the correction phase may be over.

However, technical patterns alone do not guarantee future direction. If DOGE successfully defends this support level, expectations for continued price appreciation may strengthen. Conversely, a break below the support could weaken the momentum behind the rally.

Glossary: A neckline in technical analysis refers to the price band observed as the trigger or defense point within a reversal pattern. A V-shaped recovery describes a sharp reversal where the price quickly bounces higher following a steep decline.

Derivative data signals continued buying interestMarket data from derivatives platforms shows that appetite for buying has not evaporated. Open interest slipped by 0.90% to $1.08 billion, while trading volume rose 8.64% to reach $1.06 billion. This indicates heightened market activity despite a slight decrease in leveraged holdings.

IndicatorLatest figureChangeOpen interest$1.08 billion0.90% decreaseTrading volume$1.06 billion8.64% increaseOI-weighted funding rate0.0087%Remained positiveThe open interest-weighted funding rate stood at 0.0087%, indicating that buyers are willing to pay a slight premium to hold long positions, which reflects moderately positive market sentiment.

While the combination of increased trading volume and a positive funding rate suggests sustained interest in Dogecoin, analysts caution that further price confirmation is needed before a stronger bullish scenario materializes.

Support level under watch for next movesTraders will closely monitor whether the neckline support holds in upcoming trading sessions. If this level is maintained and volume continues to increase, DOGE could be poised to test higher resistance zones.

On the other hand, a move below the support region may cause price action to stall, leaving future direction unclear. Although the current outlook—featuring a confirmed V-shaped recovery, rising volume, and a positive funding rate—signals strengthening momentum, analysts stress that additional price validation is needed to confirm a larger rally.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

A rarely seen technical pattern has emerged on Dogecoin’s weekly chart, drawing the attention of market watchers. The closely followed 50-week moving average is trending downward and approaching the 200-week moving average. Should the two lines cross with the 50-week moving beneath the 200-week, analysts warn it could confirm what is known in technical analysis as a “death cross.”

Convergence on the weekly chart draws attentionWhile similar moving average crossovers have occurred on shorter timeframes, the weekly chart has offered very limited examples. Since February 2021, only three major crossovers have been observed on Dogecoin’s weekly chart—two bullish “golden crosses” and just one downward signal. The rarity of bearish signals at this scale makes the current convergence especially significant for technical traders.

Accordingly, this set-up holds added importance for investors who rely on technical signals. The last confirmed death cross at the weekly level happened in February 2023. Its possible reemergence now suggests the market is once again approaching a crucial threshold not seen in over three years.

If the 50-week moving average drops below the 200-week moving average, Dogecoin’s weekly chart could confirm a rare death cross signal.

How past crossovers impacted priceHistorically, Dogecoin’s price action has shown some alignment with these technical signals. After a golden cross formed in February 2021, Dogecoin surged strongly in the following months. From $0.02 on February 1, 2021, the token soared to its all-time high of $0.74 in May 2021, marking an extraordinary gain of roughly 3,600%.

A similar upward move was seen after another golden cross in November 2024. Starting from October of the same year, Dogecoin rose for eight consecutive weeks, peaking at $0.48 by December 2024 before beginning to retreat.

The previous death cross produced muted reactionIn contrast, the single notable death cross seen on the weekly chart produced a relatively subdued market response. Following the bearish crossover in February 2023, Dogecoin traded within a tight range for an extended period. During that time, momentum remained weak and no strong trend emerged for several months.

This precedent suggests that the emergence of another death cross does not necessarily guarantee a sharp decline. Nevertheless, such rare signals on weekly indicators are still regarded as significant technical thresholds that could influence the broader direction of the market.

At the time of reporting, Dogecoin was trading at $0.074. In the coming weeks, the signal given by the 50- and 200-week moving averages will be closely watched and could become a decisive factor shaping Dogecoin’s medium-term trajectory.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Cardano has recently emerged among the cryptocurrency assets showing signs of recovery. As of July 4, 2026, the price of ADA stood at $0.1784, climbing 5.19% in the past 24 hours. The token saw its daily trading volume reach $870.94 million, while its total market capitalization hit $6.48 billion.

Key support zone remains intactOne of the main focal points for the market has been Cardano’s ability to stay above a critical support zone closely watched by investors. Crypto analyst The Boss characterized the price’s ability to defend this level, especially after the sharp pullback earlier in the week, as a notable technical development.

Recent weekly candlesticks suggest that selling pressure has eased compared to previous periods, while buying interest has picked up. Unlike earlier downtrends, when the price declined without encountering obvious resistance, the current outlook indicates a more balanced market structure.

The Boss observed that Cardano’s price has managed to hold its support area following intense sell-offs, with recent weekly candlesticks pointing to a revival in buying demand.

The analysis highlights that the support zones marked in green form the foundation of the current market setup, while resistance areas shown in yellow have been limiting stronger upward movements. Should buyers continue to defend these levels, the recent bounce could evolve into a more meaningful price move.

Indicators turning positiveTechnical indicators are also offering a more constructive short-term outlook for ADA. After rebounding from its local bottom, Cardano rose above the midline of the Bollinger Bands at $0.15811. Sustaining above this level signals a renewed shift in favor of buyers.

The price is now approaching the upper Bollinger Band at $0.18192, while the lower band stands at $0.13430. If Cardano breaks through the upper band with significant volume, further bullish momentum could be expected.

The MACD indicator is also sending a positive signal, with the MACD line at 0.00560, ahead of the signal line at -0.00645. The histogram remains positive at 0.01205, further supporting the view that buying strength is recovering.

Upcoming sessions to test resistanceIn the trading days ahead, market attention will focus on Cardano’s attempt to decisively break through its overhead resistance without losing momentum. Particularly, overcoming the area near the upper Bollinger Band is deemed crucial for the current rebound to transition into a more distinct upward trend.

On the other hand, if resistance cannot be breached, the tug-of-war between buyers and sellers may result in the price moving sideways for some time. The preservation of current support levels, combined with improving indicators and renewed buying interest, underscore that Cardano may be entering a healthier phase compared to its prior downtrend.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

The crypto market likes to pretend it’s decentralized until the bluechip crypto’s start moving. Then suddenly everything dances to the same rhythm.

The data on CoinMarketCap shows that the top eight crypto assets by market capitalization: BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, TRX, and HYPE command a combined valuation of roughly $1.71 trillion. With the total crypto market sitting near $2.17 trillion, these assets effectively control the direction of the entire industry.

And two names still run the show. BTC accounts for 57.8% of the market while ETH holds another 9.8%, giving the pair overwhelming influence whenever either decides to move.

June Support Levels Became The Battleground For Bluechip Crypto’s Early June produced an important stress test across the bluechip crypto market. BTC established support near $59,249. DOGE found buyers around $0.078, BNB price stabilized near $557, XRP built a floor around $1.05, while SOL defended $60.

TRX held support at $0.31, HYPE protected the $52.99 region, and ETH built demand near $1,559. The interesting part came later.

Four Assets Refused To Break DownDuring late June, BTC, DOGE, BNB, and XRP slipped below those early support zones briefly, suggesting selling pressure remained dominant at that time.

But in SOL, TRX, HYPE, and ETH told a different story. Those assets held their June lows, indicating buyers were willing to absorb supply even while broader market sentiment remained shaky.

July Momentum Is Starting To SpreadWith BTC climbing roughly 9% over the past four days in early July, the rest of the bluechip complex has started responding.

If the rally continues, BTC could revisit $67,050 which is mid-June level, while DOGE may target $0.091, BNB $630, and XRP $1.30, which are also the peak of mid-June.

Meanwhile, SOL has already reclaimed levels above its mid-June high of near $75, potentially opening a path toward $98 now. TRX could look toward $0.37, HYPE toward $76 and potentially beyond $80, while ETH may aim for $2,395.

Additionally, rising 24-hour address activity across several of these networks since mid-June suggests user participation is beginning to improve alongside price action. For bluechip crypto assets, that combination tends to matter.

Story Ends Here

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Orix, an Artificial Intelligence (AI-driven) Web3 project, has disclosed its strategic partnership with KUVI AI, an AI-driven platform for Agentic Finance. The basic purpose of this collaboration is to accelerate AI-powered Agentic Finance on the BNB Chain.

Orix AI specializes in on-chain AI computing and AI agent technology, focusing on enabling AI agents to execute blockchain tasks quickly and autonomously. KUVI AI offers institutional-grade financial infrastructure for digital assets and also focuses on secure, scalable, and programmable financial services suitable for institutions. Orix AI has shared this news on its official X account.

ORIX AI × KUVI AI: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP🤝

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with @kuvilabs to supercharge the AI & Agentic Finance ecosystem on BNB Chain.

By combining Orix’s lightning-fast on-chain AI solving capabilities with KUVI institutional-grade financial… pic.twitter.com/CYFg6R5w6c

— Orix AI Agent (@OrixBNB) July 4, 2026 Orix AI and KUVI AI Advance Autonomous Wealth Management Through AI The alliance of Orix AI and KUVI AI is actively accelerating the development of AI-Powered finance on the BNB Chain, enabling programmable wealth management and improving autonomous Web3 automation with the help of AI agents to execute financial tasks.

Furthermore, this unification delivers faster and more efficient on-chain AI processing alongside institutional-quality financial infrastructure. Agentic Finance refers to financial systems where AI agents can freely perform tasks such as managing digital assets, executing trades, optimizing investment strategies, and interacting with Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocols.  

Delivering Advanced AI Infrastructure for the Digital Economy   The unification of Orix AI and KUVI AI is much more than an ordinary partnership; rather, it provides infrastructure for automated decision-making and smart contract interactions. Both platforms have a strong foundation in AI, providing advanced services all over the world.

This development is an innovative step for both partners in the field of AI. In short, both platforms are helping people in terms of facilitating advanced services. In this world, there is a need for development in the AI sector and for helping users to upgrade their living standards.

AUTHOR

Crypto journalist with years of experience providing in-depth analysis and news on blockchain and decentralized finance. With a keen eye for detail, Shahzaib delivers insightful articles that explore the latest trends, market movements, and innovations within the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. His work focuses on educating readers while offering expert commentary on the evolving landscape of digital assets, DeFi protocols, and the broader impact of blockchain technology.

The Chainlink ecosystem has drawn renewed attention in recent days due to signs of technical recovery and a series of new institutional integrations. As of July 4, the price of LINK stood around $8.07, up 1.19% for the day, marking a nearly 12% bounce from its late June low of $7.20.

Technical rebound drives short-term momentumOn the daily chart, the MACD indicator has shifted into positive territory and LINK’s price has climbed above the 20-day Bollinger middle band at $7.71. This suggests buyers are regaining control in the short term. However, resistance near $8.43 remains a key hurdle. If LINK manages to break through this zone, attention could quickly shift to the $8.80–$9.00 range as the next target.

While technical indicators point to a short-term recovery, solidifying gains above $8.43 will be crucial for a stronger upward move.

Similarly, on the four-hour chart, buyers continue to hold the advantage. The LINK price remains above the Alligator moving averages, with the $7.95–$8.00 band acting as short-term support. If LINK dips below this level, there is a risk of a pullback towards $7.75.

IndicatorLevelCommentFirst support$7.71Short-term holding zoneMain short-term support$7.95–$8.00Critical area for near-term directionInitial resistance$8.15–$8.20Possible short-term selling pressureStrong resistance$8.40–$8.45Needs to be broken for momentum to strengthenExpanding integrations and network use casesChainlink, widely known as a decentralized oracle network connecting smart contracts with off-chain data, announced 14 new integrations across 10 different blockchains in recent weeks, covering five distinct Chainlink services. Networks such as Arbitrum, Avalanche, and Ethereum were among the recipients of these integrations.

Mini glossary: An oracle network is an infrastructure that securely delivers external data, such as price, reserves, interest rates, or transaction details, to blockchain-based smart contracts. Interoperability allows different blockchains to exchange data and messages seamlessly.

The company also revealed that it has been adopted as the official data and cross-chain oracle provider by Robinhood Crypto. This move aims to connect a broader user base to the on-chain economy via stock token offerings on Robinhood’s platform.

By supplying infrastructure for Robinhood’s stock tokens, Chainlink is enabling millions of users to access the on-chain economy.

Long-term forecasts broaden LINK’s price rangePrice projections for July 2026 indicate a base of $7.19, an average of $8.16, and an upper limit of $11.51 for LINK. The forecasted range for all of 2026 is between $7.00 and $17.00, with the average expected price put at $11.38.

Longer-term predictions highlight a potential high of $28.53 for 2029, rising to $36.68 by 2030, $44.80 by 2031, and $52.95 by 2032. For 2032 specifically, a low estimate of $21.78 and an average projection of $35.45 were also shared alongside the maximum price.

YearLowAverageHigh2026$7.00$11.38$17.002029$11.74$19.11$28.532032$21.78$35.45$52.95Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Europe’s largest fintech platform, Revolut, will drop Tether’s USDT by 31st of August. However, USDT deposits will be disabled from the platform by the end of this month.

The tech giant informed users that those who fail to transfer their funds by the end of August will have their USDT automatically exchanged to fiat. 

The move is likely informed by regulatory pressure, according to analyst Max Karpis. He noted, 

Revolut is delisting USDT on 31 Aug 2026 (regulatory/risk reasons). Not long ago, they expanded support to include zero-fee transfers and 1:1 USDT/USDC swaps. Now a reversal. Compliance hits again.

EU’s crypto regulatory framework, MiCA, is now in effect. Hence, the move is likely to block non-compliant stablecoins and tokens. 

Tether CEO deems MiCA as ‘dangerous’ for stablecoins Interestingly, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has been open about not seeking MiCA approval. In fact, he argued that the regulation is “bad” and “dangerous” for stablecoins. 

The problem I have with MiCA is that it’s very dangerous for stablecoins. What will happen next year is that a few banks in Europe will go belly up because of MiCA’s requirement that 60% of stablecoin reserves be kept in uninsured cash deposits in European banks.

He also noted that only small banks accept crypto firms, as major ones like UBS are unwilling to accept stablecoin business. For Ardoino, this would be risky as a +20% redemption on USDT could quickly trigger a banking crisis. 

He believes that MiCA is designed to position the Digital Euro to control fund flows. Hence, he opted to keep USDT safe for emerging markets that rely heavily on it. 

Whether the same risk applies to Circle’s USDC or Euro stablecoin EURC is not clear. However, Circle has MiCA approval and seems to have benefited last month as the MiCA transition period came to an end. 

According to Visa data, USDC saw $1.21T in transfer volume in June, doubling Tether’s USDT. This was the second highest monthly transfer volume following February’s record $1.28T amid growing adoption across most blockchains.

Source: Visa  In fact, less than a week into July, USDC’s volume was 3x that of USDT, underscoring a likely shift tied to the MiCA framework. Users across the EU or those sending money to the continent may be opting for USDC instead of USDT. 

The shift was also evident across US dollar and Euro-based stablecoins. The latter grew 11x while USD-based stablecoin volumes shrank.

Source: TRM Labs Tether’s USDT still dominates the stablecoin market in terms of supply though. It remains to be seen whether Circle will close the gap as Revolut and other EU platforms continue to delist USDT.  

Final Summary Revolut will delist USDT by August 31st and stop accepting deposits from the stablecoin by the end of July. USDC transfer volume hit $1.21T, doubling Tether’s USDT, further underscoring MiCA’s impact on stablecoin adoption. 

Deposits on Aave's newly launched Monad market surpassed $100 million on Saturday morning, according to TokenLogic on X, roughly two days after the lending protocol went live on the network.

Aave (AAVE), the largest decentralized lending protocol, deployed V3 on Monad on Thursday, bringing lending, borrowing, and its GHO stablecoin to the chain for the first time. The market launched with support for 12 assets, including USDT0, USDC, GHO, WETH, and Coinbase's cbBTC.

Deposits topped $75 million within the first 24 hours, Aave said Friday.

Monad (MON) is the high-throughput, EVM-compatible Layer 1 network built by former Jump Trading developers that launched its mainnet and MON token on Nov. 24 of last year. The network claims 10,000 transactions per second and 800-millisecond finality.

The early inflows are substantial relative to the size of Monad's DeFi ecosystem. The entire network held about $359.5 million in total value locked as of June 8, according to a LlamaRisk assessment posted to Aave's governance forum, meaning the new Aave market attracted the equivalent of more than a quarter of that figure in two days.

The deposits are also heavily subsidized. Under the deployment proposal authored by TokenLogic in May, the Monad Foundation committed $15 million in incentives over the first 12 months and agreed to acquire and hold 10 million GHO for more than six months, while the Aave DAO pledged another 500,000 GHO to support the stablecoin's adoption on the network.

Risk service provider LlamaRisk backed the deployment with conservative initial parameters, citing Monad's roughly seven months of operating history. The risk firm noted that network activity had compressed after a strong start, with liquidity concentrated in established protocols like Uniswap, Curve, and Morpho.

Notably, Monad received Aave V3.7 rather than the protocol's latest version. Aave V4 launched on the Ethereum mainnet in late March with a new hub-and-spoke architecture, and Aave Labs founder and CEO Stani Kulechov told The Block at the time that the team was pursuing a controlled rollout, as it had with prior versions. The governance proposal leaves it to the Monad Foundation to decide whether and when to migrate to V4.

Aave V4 separately crossed $250 million in deposits on Saturday, per Kulechov. "This is a remarkable milestone for Aave," Kulechov wrote on X. "Can't wait to see Aave to grow towards [$1 billion] with more crypto-backed loans and expanding to securities backed-lending."

In a statement on the Monad deployment, Kulechov said "the next generation of blockchain applications depends on fast execution and deep, reliable liquidity." Keone Hon, co-founder and general manager of the Monad Foundation, said Aave is a lending standard trusted by institutions and that the deployment puts Ethereum's core liquidity primitives on a faster chain.

The launch extends a multichain expansion that saw Aave go live on OKX's X Layer in March. Per the governance proposal, the next phase on Monad is expected to add Pendle PT assets and Fastlane's shMON liquid staking token.

The deployment caps an active week for the Monad ecosystem: MetaMask launched its Money Account product on Tuesday with Monad as its "home chain."

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Polkadot-based interoperability protocol Moonbeam said it is pivoting to Ethereum layer 2 Base to launch an AI agent communication and settlement network, aimed at capturing a share of the emerging market. 

“This is a pivot to the most exciting frontier in crypto: autonomous AI agents that find each other, negotiate work, and pay each other entirely on-chain, without a middleman,” Moonbeam said in a statement announcing the Moonbeam Protocol on Friday. 

“We believe AI-native on-chain coordination represents a significant long-term opportunity. This transition allows us to focus resources around that direction,” Moonbeam added.

Moonbeam didn’t provide a launch timeline for the Moonbeam Protocol.

Source: Moonbeam

Agentic development has seen considerable adoption in the crypto industry, with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire among the executives predicting that AI agents will become the dominant users of blockchain-based payments in the coming years.

Coinbase’s x402 payments protocol has been one of the biggest drivers behind that push, while layer 1 blockchains Aptos and Near have also rolled out infrastructure to support agent-driven onchain activity.

Adoption in blockchain-based payments space has struggled to take off, however, with data from Artemis showing that only $2 million in trading volume has been facilitated through the x402 protocol over the past 30 days. 

AI agent development is progressing slowly in Big Tech too, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stating on Thursday that the technology hasn’t accelerated the firm’s workflows as quickly as expected.

Moonbeam pivot a blow to PolkadotSeveral members of the crypto community said Moonbeam's pivot marked a major setback for the Polkadot ecosystem, with one X user calling Moonbeam Polkadot's "flagship project." 

“That’s a real pain in the ass for Polkadot,” another X user said.

Moonbeam launched as a Polkadot parachain in January 2022, providing developers the ability to build Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible applications directly in the Polkadot ecosystem.

Moonbeam users instructed to migrate tokensMoonbeam (GLMR) holders will need to bridge their tokens from Moonbeam’s Polkadot parachain to Base before July 31, 2026, including GLMR tied in lending markets, staking contracts and other decentralized finance protocols, Moonbeam said.

Those holding the token on a centralized exchange won't need to take any action, Moonbeam said.

Moonbeam said it will continue providing its cross-chain interoperability services on the Polkadot parachain through the transition period and is not abandoning its existing builders or infrastructure providers.

Magazine: Bitcoin decouples from tech stocks, Ether eyes ‘selling wave’: Market Moves

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

On July 7, 3 weeks after the largest IPO in history, SPCX enters the Nasdaq-100 with billions in passive index buying behind it. The more interesting market is the one Wall Street does not run: tokenized shares on Solana, perpetual futures that priced the listing before bankers did, a $557 million subscription campaign that had to refund almost everyone, and 18,712 Bitcoin sitting on the rocket company’s balance sheet.

Summary

SpaceX’s Nasdaq-100 entry will bring estimated passive buying while crypto markets already trade its exposure around the clock. Tokenized shares, tracker products, and perpetual futures turned SPCX into a live test of equity trading on crypto rails. The SpaceX cycle exposed both the promise and risks of tokenized markets, from global access to failed allocations and liquidations. Index inclusions are usually the sleepiest events in finance. A committee updates a list, passive funds rebalance, and the market moves on. SpaceX joining the Nasdaq-100 before the open on Tuesday, July 7, is not sleepy, partly because the company only went public on June 12 and partly because the estimated $4.3 billion in passive buying tied to the inclusion is arriving into one of the strangest market structures any stock has ever had.

SpaceX, ticker SPCX, is the first mega-cap whose entire public life has run in parallel on crypto rails. Its valuation was traded around the clock for weeks before the IPO priced. Its shares exist simultaneously as Nasdaq stock, as redeemable tokens on Solana, as tracker certificates on half a dozen exchanges, and as cash-settled perpetual futures that liquidated more than $50 million in positions during one bad 48-hour stretch. Its balance sheet holds 18,712 Bitcoin. And when the index funds start buying on Tuesday morning, a meaningful part of the price discovery will already have happened overnight, on-chain, while the exchange was closed.

This is what it looks like when the market structure conversation stops being theoretical. Here is the full map of the SpaceX trade, and what Tuesday tests.

The listing that broke records and brokers The numbers behind the underlying event deserve a restatement, because everything else sits on top of them. SpaceX sold 555.6 million Class A shares at $135 on June 12, raising $75 billion, the largest initial public offering in United States history, at a valuation near $1.75 trillion. Goldman Sachs led the syndicate alongside Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Securities, Citigroup, and JPMorgan. The company dual-listed on Nasdaq’s Texas exchange under the same ticker, and in a sharp break from mega-cap convention, allocated 30% of the offering to retail investors instead of the usual sliver near 10%.

The stock opened at $150, traded as high as the mid-$160s, and then did what heavily hyped listings often do: it came back down, slipping below its opening price in late June during the broader market drawdown, leaving buyers above the $135 offer price with a live lesson in post-IPO volatility. The first public earnings report lands in September, and the first quarterly disclosure period, ending June 30, has just closed.

One filing detail turned the listing into a crypto story on its own. SpaceX’s registration statement disclosed 18,712 BTC on the balance sheet, acquired back in 2021 at a cost basis of roughly $661 million and worth around $1.2 billion at recent prices. As a public company, SpaceX now reports that position, its cost basis, and its fair-value changes every quarter, joining the small club of corporates whose earnings calls double as Bitcoin disclosures. The June market slide made that holding a talking point immediately, with analysts noting that the $75 billion raise itself competed for the same pool of risk capital that had been holding up crypto prices.

The perpetuals that front-ran the bankers The most consequential crypto layer of the SpaceX trade started weeks before the stock existed. On May 18, the builder TradeXYZ deployed a pre-IPO perpetual futures market for SpaceX on Hyperliquid under the ticker xyz:SPCX, using the HIP-3 framework that lets outside builders launch perpetual markets on the chain.

Centralized exchanges followed with their own contracts, and by listing day the pre-IPO complex had processed $3.2 billion in volume across 8 venues with open interest peaking above $390 million, including more than $190 million on Hyperliquid alone before the Nasdaq open.

What makes those markets more than a curiosity is how well they priced the event. Aggregated pre-IPO contracts traded at a volume-weighted average near $155 in the final stretch against the $135 offer price, and closed the pre-listing period at an average of $157, within 4.7% of the $150 opening print. The precedent held from the Cerebras listing months earlier, where the equivalent contract landed within 1.3% of the opening price. Synthetic, around-the-clock markets built on crypto infrastructure produced a credible forecast of where one of the most oversubscribed offerings in history would open, while the traditional book-building process kept that information inside the syndicate.

The same markets also delivered the cautionary chapter. Once Nasdaq trading began, the contracts converted into standard equity-linked perpetuals using the live stock price as an oracle, and when SPCX slid below its $150 opening level in late June, leveraged longs paid for the enthusiasm: more than $50 million in SPCX perpetual liquidations in 48 hours, a total that briefly ranked the contract behind only Bitcoin and Ethereum among crypto derivatives. A perpetual future on a stock inherits crypto’s speed in both directions, and the liquidation engine does not wait for an opening bell.

Four things called SpaceX exposure, one of them actual stock The tokenized layer is where the SpaceX trade turned into a market structure exam that much of the industry failed. By late June, a retail buyer reaching for SpaceX exposure through crypto could end up holding four legally distinct instruments, and the differences only became obvious under stress.

The first is the real thing: a Nasdaq share, whether through a traditional broker or through exchange offerings that route whole-share orders to an introducing broker with standard clearing. Real equity, real shareholder claim, real trading halts.

The second is the redeemable token. Backpack Securities issued a Solana-native SpaceX token backed 1:1 by actual shares in regulated custody, redeemable into the underlying equity and transferable to a conventional brokerage. Ondo launched its own 1:1 tracker on Ethereum and Solana with daily custody attestations. These are the instruments the tokenization thesis has been promising: the stock, wrapped, portable, and trading around the clock.

The third is the tracker certificate. The xStocks product, launched by Kraken parent Payward and distributed across exchanges including Bybit, delivers price exposure through bearer debt instruments with no shareholder rights, no voting, and no legal claim on the underlying shares, and its own terms allow the collateral behind them to be assets other than the stock itself. It is exposure, not ownership, and the paperwork says so for anyone who reads it. Payward has spent 2026 planting flags across mainstream finance, from tokenized equities to its FIFA World Cup sponsorship, and xStocks is the ambitious middle of that portfolio.

The fourth is the perpetual, which owns nothing at all and tracks the price purely through funding mechanics.

The stress test arrived before the stock did. Binance Wallet ran a tokenized subscription campaign for SpaceX exposure through xStocks that raised $557 million from 27,689 wallet addresses, one of the largest tokenized offering campaigns ever, with Bybit running a parallel program. Then the supply failed to show up: the xStocks provider received a smaller pre-IPO share allocation than expected, and Binance, Bybit, and Bitget canceled customer allocations and refunded in full, with Binance distributing a consolation $1 million in shares through its newer bStocks platform. The fine print had warned that allocations were not guaranteed, and the fine print won. Tokenization can wrap a share, but it cannot conjure one, and the biggest tokenized IPO campaign in history ended as a refund notice.

None of that stopped the sector’s growth. Tokenized stock volumes hit a record $20 billion during the SpaceX cycle, pre-IPO tokenized trading volume surged over 1,000%, and tokenized equities as a category kept compounding, with Citi projecting tokenized real-world assets to grow from around $17 billion today to $5.5 trillion by 2030. SpaceX was simultaneously the category’s best advertisement and its most public quality-control failure.

How a market for a private company actually works Since pre-IPO perpetuals are about to become a fixture of every major listing, the mechanics deserve a proper walkthrough, because the instrument is stranger than its chart suggests.

A perpetual future normally needs a reference price to anchor its funding mechanism: longs pay shorts when the contract trades above the index, shorts pay longs below it, and the payments tether the derivative to the underlying. A private company has no underlying. The pre-IPO contracts solved this by letting the funding mechanism anchor to itself, with the contract price representing the market’s continuously updated estimate of the eventual listing value, disciplined by traders willing to take the other side of any drift. It is price discovery with no ground truth until listing day, which sounds like astrology and behaved like arbitrage.

The Cerebras listing was the controlled experiment. The chipmaker’s pre-IPO perpetual traded for weeks before its Nasdaq debut, and when the stock opened, the contract’s final pre-listing price sat within 1.3% of the $350 opening print. Spreads on the contract compressed to a 0.07% median once the live stock price became the oracle, and open interest rolled off in an orderly unwind as positions reconciled against reality. The experiment answered the core objection to synthetic pre-IPO markets, that with no underlying to arbitrage they would drift into fantasy, with a data point: they did not.

SpaceX ran the experiment at 40 times the size. The Hyperliquid contract launched on May 18 with the IPO reference at $135, and the market immediately priced the company richer, clustering between $180 and $200 in the first weeks, an implied valuation near $2.5 trillion that said more about scarcity hunger than fundamentals. Then something instructive happened: as the roadshow progressed and allocation details leaked, the contracts converged, sliding into the $160 to $170 range by June 8 and settling near $155 aggregate VWAP into listing week. The synthetic market did not just guess; it updated, absorbing information through the exact process equity analysts describe as price discovery, running around the clock on rails the syndicate did not control.

At listing, the contracts flipped their oracle to the live Nasdaq price and became ordinary equity-linked perpetuals, which is where the second lesson arrived. An around-the-clock leveraged derivative on a stock means the stock effectively trades around the clock too, with all of crypto’s liquidation mechanics attached. When SPCX broke below $150, the cascade cleared more than $50 million in 48 hours, forcing exits firing at 3 a.m. against a reference asset whose actual venue was closed. Equity investors got their first taste of a dynamic crypto traders know in their bones: in a leveraged 24-hour market, the price you are liquidated at and the price the asset deserves are frequently different numbers, and only one of them empties your account.

The regulatory seam running through everything Every layer of the SpaceX crypto complex operates around a single inconvenient fact: most of it is unavailable to Americans, on purpose.

The tokenized products draw the sharpest lines. xStocks excludes users from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia outright. Ondo’s tracker is for non-United States users. Backpack’s redeemable token operates through securities registrations that carefully fence its distribution. The pattern is uniform because the legal exposure is: a tokenized share offered to a United States retail investor is a securities offering, and nobody in the stack wants to run that experiment ahead of legislation. The result is an inverted access map, where a trader in Lagos or Manila can hold around-the-clock SpaceX exposure through a phone wallet while a trader in Ohio needs a brokerage account and market hours, for a company whose rockets launch from Texas and Florida.

The perpetuals live in the same seam. The offshore exchanges listing SPCX contracts exclude United States persons as a matter of stated policy, with all the enforcement rigor that phrase historically implies, and the domestic regulated path for equity perpetuals is still being fought over between the CFTC and the exchanges. Meanwhile, the pending market structure legislation grinding through the Senate would redraw several of these lines at once, which is why every player in the tokenized stock complex is building now and lobbying simultaneously: the rails that exist when the rules finalize tend to get grandfathered into legitimacy, and the ones that do not get built never do.

The seam also explains the industry’s strange incentive alignment around Tuesday. A clean, liquid, boring index inclusion, with the tokenized layer tracking faithfully and no structural embarrassments, is a lobbying exhibit for the entire sector. A blowup is an exhibit for the other side. Rarely has a passive rebalancing event carried this much narrative weight for people who do not own the stock.

What Tuesday actually tests The Nasdaq-100 inclusion, effective before the market opens on July 7, is mechanically simple: index-tracking funds led by the QQQ complex must hold SPCX, and the estimated $4.3 billion in passive demand tied to that rebalancing arrives on a schedule everyone can see. The flow is not new money deciding it likes rockets; it is rule-following capital buying whatever the index says, funded by trimming whichever component fell out of the top 100, which is why inclusion effects are usually front-run, faded, and forgotten within a week. The wrinkle this time is that the front-running venues never close. The same June liquidity squeeze that drained a record $4 billion from Bitcoin ETFs while whales accumulated on-chain showed how sharply passive flows and conviction flows can diverge; Tuesday runs that experiment inside a single ticker. For a normal stock, the interesting question is how much of the flow is already priced in. For this stock, there are three better questions.

First, where does the price discovery happen? The inclusion takes effect at the open, but the tokenized shares and the perpetuals trade through the weekend and overnight. Whatever the market decides about the inclusion will be visible on-chain hours before the first Nasdaq print on Tuesday, the same way the pre-IPO perps front-ran the offer price. Index events used to be a bell-to-bell affair. This one has a 24-hour shadow market attached, and the arbitrage between the two is now a professional trade.

Second, does the passive bid meet the leveraged crowd? SPCX perpetual open interest rebuilt after the June flush, and a scheduled, well-telegraphed buying event is exactly the setup that attracts leverage on both sides. The last time the stock moved sharply, the liquidation cascade outpaced anything the equity market itself did. A calm inclusion would be a small landmark for the tokenized complex; a violent one would be a reminder that bolting crypto market structure onto a stock imports crypto’s failure modes along with its hours.

Third, does the index bid revalue the Bitcoin on the books? Passive funds buying SPCX are, at one remove, buying 18,712 BTC without an opinion about it, the same way index investors have been buying corporate Bitcoin treasuries through other tickers for years. It is a small position against a $1.7 trillion company, but the symbolism runs the other direction: Bitcoin exposure is now something the Nasdaq-100 carries by default, embedded in a rocket company, disclosed quarterly, and owned by every retirement account tracking the index.

LATEST: Arthur Hayes warns that SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI IPOs plus rising oil prices could burst the AI bubble. He sees Bitcoin dumping then pumping once the event triggers the next liquidity cycle pic.twitter.com/xTateutPGC

— crypto.news (@cryptodotnews) June 9, 2026 The precedent being set in real time Step back from the ticker and the SpaceX cycle reads like a preview of how every major listing will eventually work. A company’s valuation now starts trading the moment the market cares, not the moment a syndicate allows it. The pre-IPO perps priced SpaceX within a few percent while the roadshow was still running. The tokenized wrappers extended the stock into jurisdictions and hours the exchange cannot reach, the same premise Robinhood just built an entire blockchain around. The failures were real, from the xStocks allocation collapse to the liquidation cascade, but they were failures of capacity and leverage, not of the premise.

The IPO pipeline behind SpaceX makes the preview matter. OpenAI and Anthropic perpetuals already trade the same way SPCX did in May, meaning the market is currently pricing companies that have not filed anything, continuously, with open interest in the hundreds of millions. Whenever those listings arrive, the crypto layer will not be an afterthought bolted on for retail access. It will have been the market of record for months, with the exchange listing arriving as the settlement event that reconciles everyone’s positions.

The retail geography of the trade is the part traditional finance keeps underestimating. SpaceX allocated 30% of its offering to retail, an unprecedented share for a listing this size, and the tokenized layer extended that populism to jurisdictions the allocation never reached: on-chain SPCX products let buyers in more than 100 countries take positions from a phone, in fractions, at any hour, with no brokerage relationship. The demand was not hypothetical. The pre-IPO tokenized trading complex grew over 1,000% in volume during the SpaceX cycle, the Binance Wallet campaign alone pulled in $557 million of subscription demand from under 28,000 wallets, and the perpetuals cleared billions from traders who could never have participated in the actual book. Whether regulators read that as democratized access or as an unlicensed parallel offering is precisely the fight the next 2 years of market structure policy will settle, and SpaceX supplied both sides with their best evidence.

There is also a quieter institutional lesson in how the instruments behaved relative to each other. Through the June volatility, the redeemable tokens tracked the stock tightly because arbitrageurs could actually redeem them, the tracker certificates drifted on their own supply and demand because nobody could, and the perpetuals overshot in both directions because leverage always does. The dispersion between four instruments referencing one asset is a live measurement of how much each layer of trust costs, updated every minute, and desks have started trading the basis between the wrappers the way they trade the futures basis in any mature market. Market structure people call this the instrument stack finding its pricing; everyone else calls it confusing, and both are right.

That inversion, crypto markets first and the stock exchange as confirmation, would have sounded absurd during the last cycle. On Tuesday morning, when the index funds show up to buy a stock whose weekend price action already happened on Solana and Hyperliquid, it will just be how the SpaceX trade works. The rocket company did not set out to become the test case for the merger of equity and crypto market structure. It became one anyway, because it was the biggest thing on the launchpad when the rails were finally ready, and markets, like rockets, use the heaviest available payload to prove the vehicle.

The score going into the open The scoreboard so far: the perpetuals called the IPO price better than the commentary did, the redeemable tokens worked exactly as designed, the tracker certificates exposed the difference between exposure and ownership, the subscription campaigns found the hard limit of tokenized supply, and the leverage got punished on schedule. That is a remarkably complete stress test for a market structure that barely existed 2 years ago, administered by a single stock in 3 weeks.

Tuesday adds the last missing scenario, a scheduled institutional flow event, to the record. Whichever way SPCX trades, the more durable result is already in: the parallel market did not blink, did not halt, and did not wait for anyone’s opening bell. The index committee added a company to a list. The market around that company had already added itself to something bigger.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Digital asset markets are volatile, and you can lose your entire investment. Always do your own research. Information current as of July 4, 2026.

Solana has recently emerged as a focal point in the cryptocurrency market, attracting attention with both surging transaction volumes and new proposals that could significantly impact the network’s future token supply. According to market data, activity on the blockchain has picked up notably, with analysts maintaining a long-term bullish outlook for the ecosystem.

Transaction volume sees explosive growthMarket expert Zensei reported that Solana’s transaction volume soared by 170.3% year on year for April, May, and June. By comparison, growth on the Hyperliquid platform was limited to just 9.1% in the same period, underscoring that Solana’s rate of increase was nearly 19 times greater than its peer network.

Solana is recognized for its high speed and low transaction fees, which have kept users and capital engaged on the network. As transaction flows intensify, investor attention has shifted from mere price trends toward the protocol-level changes driving the uptick in activity.

According to DeFi Dev Corp, approximately 60,000 new SOL tokens are minted daily on the Solana network, while only 650 SOL are being burned in return.

Technical outlook: $270 resistance comes into focusVuori Trading notes that after its recent correction, SOL appears to have entered a recovery phase and may be embarking on the fifth wave of the Elliott Wave cycle. If the current market optimism persists, $1,259 is cited as a potential medium-term target for Solana. The present pullback is interpreted as a fourth-wave correction rather than a breakdown in trend.

Technical indicators point to $107.94 as the main support level. Meanwhile, $270 stands out as the primary resistance zone. A decisive move above $270 could reinforce upward momentum, while a dip below $107.94 would increase the risk of a deeper correction.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains one of the key metrics closely monitored by traders. With RSI nearing levels historically associated with the end of major declines, several analysts are watching SOL’s price structure with heightened attention.

Mini glossary: The Elliott Wave Theory proposes that price moves in repeating wave patterns, aiding technical analysis. RSI measures the speed and strength of price movements, helping identify overbought or oversold conditions in assets.

New proposals could reshape supply dynamicsBeyond technicals, proposed protocol upgrades within the Solana community may bring lasting changes to the token’s economic structure. DeFi Dev Corp revealed that with approximately 60,000 new SOL entering circulation daily versus only 650 SOL burned, the current supply inflation remains pronounced.

Currently, three SIMD proposals aim to address this disparity. SIMD-550 seeks to accelerate the reduction in inflation, effectively decreasing the future supply of new tokens. On the other hand, SIMD-123 is designed to increase institutional staking via validator pools, thereby reducing the circulating supply of SOL.

Vuori Trading emphasizes that the recent pullback appears more like a routine correction than a trend reversal, with the potential for higher levels to be retested if overall market support continues.

If these proposals are accepted, the Solana network could see lower inflation, higher staking participation, and more tokens burned as network usage grows. Market participants are closely watching governance decisions, the network’s capacity to accommodate rising activity, and SOL’s price behavior above the $270 mark.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Paraguay’s goalkeeper Orlando Gill stopped enough German shots on June 30, 2026, to earn the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match award, a fan-voted accolade distributed throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The award came through FIFA’s official channels and landed across social media simultaneously, triggering a wave of engagement on Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, and Facebook.

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What Gill actually did Gill’s performance against Germany included a series of crucial saves, among them penalty stops, that proved decisive in Paraguay’s advancement.

The Superior Player of the Match award is determined by fan votes, which adds a layer of popular legitimacy beyond the usual pundit consensus.

The sponsorship angle worth understanding Michelob Ultra’s naming rights on the Superior Player of the Match award is a straightforward piece of sports marketing. The World Cup is the single largest sporting event on the planet by viewership. Every match-defining moment that gets clipped, shared, and discussed carries the sponsor’s name with it.

Michelob Ultra has positioned itself as a sports-lifestyle brand for years, and FIFA World Cup sponsorship sits at the top of that strategy. The 2026 tournament, co-hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, gave the brand particular relevance in North American markets. A fan-voted award mechanism also keeps audiences active and connected to the sponsor’s brand touchpoint through the act of voting, not just passive viewing.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

In brief Andy Konwinski, who cofounded Databricks and Perplexity AI, argued this week that concentrating AI power is a safety risk in itself. The essay followed Open Frontier, a working meeting of roughly 100 researchers in San Francisco on June 30. Turing Award winner Yann LeCun replied directly on X, comparing today's closed-lab AI moment to "medieval obscurantism akin to the Ottoman empire banning the use of the printing press for 200 years." Perplexity AI and Databricks co-founder Andy Konwinski thinks the AI safety conversation has a problem: It's being used to concentrate power, not prevent harm. Earlier this week, he published an essay making his case, with Anthropic as the star witness.

The case he builds starts with a decision Anthropic reversed in 48 hours. When Anthropic launched Claude Fable 5 on June 9, a paragraph buried in its 319-page system card disclosed that the model would silently degrade its own responses for anyone it suspected of training a competing AI.

Researchers found it. The internet did not take it well.

Anthropic walked it back, but for Konwinski this makes no difference when analyzing the bigger picture. "The problem isn't that Anthropic made a bad decision," he wrote. "The problem is that they assumed the decision was theirs to make."

His essay, titled "Concentration of power in AI is a risk, not a solution," followed Open Frontier, a working meeting he convened through his nonprofit Laude Institute at San Francisco's Exploratorium on June 30. About 100 researchers showed up.

UC Berkeley dean Jennifer Chayes, who runs the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, told a funding panel that Berkeley researchers are "all building on Chinese models because we don't have a Western open frontier model"—and that the safety messaging from OpenAI and Anthropic ahead of their IPOs amounted to a "very effective fear campaign."

Konwinski's argument is that centralizing access doesn't neutralize risk; it creates a different one. AI is foundational infrastructure—in the same category as railroads, electricity, and the internet. Those technologies reorganized society around whoever controlled the underlying layer. The same is coming for AI. His alternative: a research commons with frontier-scale compute that lets top researchers reach the frontier without needing permission from a private lab to do it.

LeCun: It's the Ottoman empire banning the printing pressYann LeCun, Meta’s former chief scientist, replied to Konwinski's essay on X with no ambiguity. "I've been disseminating a similar message for years,” he replied on Konwinski’s post. “The concentration of power in AI and the desire for control is by far the biggest danger of AI."

Exactly. I've been disseminating a similar message for years.

The concentration of power in AI and the desire for control is by far the biggest danger of AI. It could lead to a few private companies and/or countries being in control of access to information, access to…

— Yann LeCun (@ylecun) July 3, 2026

He also had a historical comparison ready. "It's a kind of medieval obscurantism akin to the Ottoman empire banning the use of the printing press for 200 years, in part to keep control of the dogma, but also to protect the corporation of the calligraphers and scribes," LeCun wrote.

LeCun’s prediction for where this ends: "Infrastructure wants to be open. Foundation models are becoming an infrastructure and will inevitably become commoditized. Long term, the money is in the application layer."

LeCun left Meta in late 2025 and launched AMI Labs in Paris with $1.03 billion in seed funding in March 2026—his own answer to the question. The company runs on world models and his JEPA architecture, plans to open-source its research, and has no commercial product expected for years.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

Updated Jul 4, 2026, 8:16 p.m. Published Jul 4, 2026, 6:00 p.m.

6 min read

(Boitumelo/Unsplash)Summary

Ethical hackers from security firm Hexens discovered a flaw in the Aptos blockchain that was patched but could have put up to $70 billion in digital assets at systemic risk, including stablecoins and cross-chain bridges.Researchers simulated the attack with a over-90% success rate under real network conditions, using a well-provisioned server setup that cost just $3,000 to simulate about 1/3 of the validator network, and the attack required no insider access or special permissions.The vulnerability was reported through emergency security channels on Feb. 25, and a patch was deployed within days to prevent any funds from being lost.A $3,000 server was enough for a blockchain security researcher to simulate an attack path they say could have put as much as $70 billion in crypto infrastructure at risk.

At the center of the disclosure was a flaw in Aptos, a layer-1 blockchain built on Move, the smart contract language used by Aptos and Sui, that stems from Facebook’s shelved Diem project.

In late February, researchers at the blockchain security firm Hexens reported a critical vulnerability in the Aptos Move virtual machine, the execution environment that processes smart contracts on the chain, to the project’s development team. Hexens identified what it described as a "stale-cache bug" leading to a type-confusion vulnerability, a condition in which software can be tricked into treating one type of onchain resource as another.The

Aptos team did patch the vulnerability when it was flagged, and no funds were lost.

“Aptos Labs was notified of a potential issue through our bug bounty program on February 25 that was already being triaged internally at the time," an Aptos spokesperson told CoinDesk. "A fix was developed, tested, and deployed to mainnet within hours of discovery. No users or funds were impacted at any point."

The Aptos spokesperson also disputed the practical exploitability of the bug to CoinDesk. "Our analysis determined the bug would have extremely low exploitability in real world conditions."

However, the details of what researchers found offer a sobering look at how close the ecosystem came to a potentially industry-altering event.

The sensitivity of this class of bug comes down to how the Move language handles authority. Protocol permissions in Move, including the right to mint a stablecoin, control a bridge, or administer a lending market, are often stored directly as onchain resources. If those resources are compromised, the damage does not stop at one protocol. It extends to everything that trusts them.

Hexens' researchers offered a practical analogy to the bug: it is roughly comparable to a bug on an Ethereum-style chain that would allow attacker-controlled code to write into storage belonging to other contracts, bypassing the type-system guarantees that Move was specifically designed to uphold.

Mudit Gupta, CTO at Polygon, independently reviewed the proof-of-concept materials and said the exploit held up. "It ran as claimed, and the exploit made sense," he told CoinDesk. "It required a few conditions to be met, which it seems like they did on the mainnet."

Meanwhile, Grego AI, which independently verified Hexens' proof-of-concept, calculated that approximately $250 million in Aptos-native TVL was directly at risk based on the near-90% success rate, separate from broader cross-chain exposure.

The $70 billion riskThe vulnerability, discovered by Vahe Karapetyan, CTO and co-founder of Hexens, could, if left unchecked, have exposed a far larger systemic risk surface across bridges, stablecoins, DeFi protocols and centralized exchanges, costing billions and creating a crisis far beyond Aptos itself.

And all it would've taken was a few thousand dollars' worth of servers.

The total cost to spin up the infrastructure needed to run this experiment was approximately $3,000 for a server that simulated an environment designed to approximate Aptos mainnet conditions. Although if a malicious attacker were to actually go through the exploit, it would have required considerably less, without requiring validator access, insider knowledge or privileged protocol permissions.

The team ran the exploit path roughly 20 times in a simulated environment and succeeded 17 or 18 times. The two or three failed attempts didn't stop the network, meaning the attacker could have simply had another window to try again.

The simulation was built to closely approximate real network conditions, using a cluster of more than 30 validator nodes, a mainnet-shaped stake distribution, organic transaction traffic and heavy execution contention. The Hexens team also tested what they call "non-armed calibration techniques": dry runs that measured mempool and block-construction conditions before committing to an armed attempt. The firm said those steps materially reduced the uncertainty introduced by the exploit's probabilistic elements, making the attack path more reliable in practice.

Based on public data collected at the time of reporting, Hexens assessed direct and first-order protocol exposure on Aptos, covering DeFi protocols, tokenized assets, stablecoin infrastructure and liquid-staking systems, at low single-digit billions.

In such exploits, however, the broader risk could've been greater, as blockchain-level compromises rarely stop at the affected chain.

Hexens assessed that the broader first-order systemic risk was approximately $70 billion — a huge number that includes value accessible through bridges, cross-chain messaging systems, stablecoin administration flows and centralized exchanges.

Grego AI noted that the exploit could also be used to steal protocol capabilities, including those held by LayerZero, Wormhole and USDC's CCTP. "If malicious actors had access to this bug, they would have been able to take all [the] TVL that they want[ed]," said Justus Hanna, CEO at Grego AI.

The simulation shows the industry remains vulnerable to hidden bugs in the blockchain technology.

If an attacker had actually found and exploited the bug, in theory, it could have easily dwarfed the massive $1.5 billion stolen in a Bybit hack last year. Most recently, in June, Zcash (ZEC) plummeted 38% after developers revealed a critical bug that had lurked undetected in its privacy pool for four years, one that could have allowed an attacker to print unlimited counterfeit tokens without anyone knowing. Before that, nine-figure bridge hacks and protocol exploits drained liquidity pools and rattled confidence in the infrastructure underpinning the broader market.

It’s worth noting that $70 billion is an estimate based on minting a mammoth amount of USDC stablecoin and using Circle's Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) to move it across chains. If a malicious attacker did this, and given how large the number is, it’s also likely a company like Circle would halt USDC transfers, although that has come under scrutiny recently as the stablecoin issuer said it doesn't freeze assets without legal authorization. So, in theory, if everyone stepped in, the entire $70 billion figure likely wouldn't be achieved—but it would still have rocked the industry nonetheless.

What this proof-of-concept testing demonstrated was access to the kinds of authority that sit at the top of cross-chain systems: bridge capabilities, signer capabilities, master-minter roles and protocol accounting state. Researchers said they validated a takeover of a master-minter-style role and demonstrated the use of a legitimate administration path, stopping short of actually minting tokens but showing why such roles belong in the threat model. The dominant vector into the broader surface runs through centralized exchanges, specifically the Aptos bridge pathways that connect onchain activity to exchange deposit crediting.

Response and disclosureThe same day Hexens filed its report, a "SEAL911" emergency warroom was opened to coordinate the response. SEAL911 is a volunteer security group that has become a key first-responder layer across the crypto ecosystem.

The vendor was notified hours after the warroom opened, and four major downstream projects were alerted that afternoon, each receiving local-runnable proof-of-concept material and analysis of relevant authority patterns.

A public pull request reflecting the patch became available on February 27. Aptos stated that a private-validator patch had been deployed before the public commit.

Hexens, meanwhile, says it has not received a technical rebuttal or evidence-based argument disputing the demonstrated impact classes. The firm claims that the main concern relayed back to the researchers involved the probabilistic aspects of the exploit, precisely what the team's calibration work was designed to address.

While no funds were stolen, the simulation showed that in a blockchain-level compromise, rate limits, issuer freezes, bridge controls, exchange monitoring and validator patches are not secondary safeguards. They can become the boundary between a contained bug and a market-wide exploit.

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Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness

Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

Jun 30, 2026

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

Why it matters:

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.